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Grow In Christ>>101-level Topics>>Salvation>>Salvation by Grace
What Are Heaven's Membership Requirements?
Part II - Salvation
Article Posted: July 31, 2004 (Revised May 23, 2005)
This is the second in a series of seven articles examining Heaven's membership requirements.
In the New Testament, Heaven is promised to those who have received God's salvation. But, what is salvation? To whom is salvation granted? What does God's grace have to do with the imparting of salvation? These are the types of questions examined by this article.
Salvation Is Reconciliation
Salvation, as used in the New Testament, is the reconciliation of mankind's relationship with God resulting in deliverance from the consequences associated with human sin. The main human consequence of sin is Hell, which is eternal separation from God. God sent His Son, Jesus, to be the final sacrifice to provide permanent forgiveness for sin. God agrees to view those who accept this sacrifice as if they were His own children. The ultimate benefit of this restored relationship is the granting of eternal life in Heaven with God.
One day, John the Baptist made the following remarks about Jesus:
The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
John 1:29 (NASB)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 (NASB)
Salvation Is Opportunity
Deliverance from sin is necessary because even the most good-natured, God-fearing person, by his/her own merits, fails to meet God's standards of purity and justice. Since God cannot stand the sight of sin, it makes sense that human sin would damage mankind's relationship with God. Through their acceptance of, and association with, Jesus Christ, humans are provided the opportunity to be viewed as pure in God's sight and to be restored in their relationship with God.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 3:23 (NASB)
Paul had the following words to say to the church in Corinth:
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
II Corinthians 5:17-19 (NASB)
Salvation Was Once Unnecessary
In the beginning days of mankind's existence on earth, such atonement for sins was unnecessary. The first man and woman had no need to merely hope for heaven. After creating man and woman in the likeness of His own image, God placed them in the garden of Eden (a sort of "heaven on earth") that provided everything necessary for an immortal existence. And, God literally walked and talked with mankind in the garden.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27 (NIV)
Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food."
Genesis 1:29 (NIV)
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day...
Genesis 3:8a (NIV)
[See also Psalm 8:3-9.]
Salvation References a Pure Relationship
Even today, God desires to have a close, personal relationship with humans. But, He wants for them to acknowledge Him as Creator, a position worthy of respect and worship. However, even those who desire to connect with God, often want this relationship to exist within the confines of their own terms. Mankind's expulsion from paradise (recorded in Genesis 3:1-24) resulted from such an "I want to live by my own rules" attitude.
The first man and woman had free reign in the Garden of Eden. God gave them one simple commandment:
Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."
Genesis 2:15-17 (NASB)
Formerly one of God's most trusted angels, Satan was evicted from heaven for leading a rebellion against God. The planet earth became the devil's new battleground.
And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
Revelation 12:9 (NASB)
A way to get even with God was to turn God's creation (mankind) against God. With the serpent's shrewd prodding, Eve was persuaded to disobey God's command. She then led Adam astray:
The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.
Genesis 3:4-6 (NASB)
Sinning is acting contrary to God's laws and commandments. Therefore, by tempting Eve to eat some fruit from the forbidden tree, Satan brought sin into the world:
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
I John 3:4 (NASB)
God dispensed justice quickly. The serpent received his punishment first. In the following passage, notice the prophetic reference to Jesus (a man born of woman) crushing Satan (the Serpent) under His feet. [See Revelation 12:7-9; Romans 16:20a; Psalm 110:1; Hebrews 1:13; Acts 2:29-35; I Corinthians 15:22-26.]
The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."
Genesis 3:14-15 (NASB)
Next, Eve and Adam received their respective punishments:
To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you." Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."
Genesis 3:16-19 (NASB)
Satan had been evicted from heaven above because of his sin. Now, mankind was being permanently banished from heaven on earth. All sin leads to separation from God.
So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
Genesis 3:24 (NASB)
Salvation Is God's Promise
The Old Testament is replete with examples of men and women's desires to do as they pleased rather than to seek and acknowledge the Lord's will for their lives. The stories of the Great Flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Assyrian (and Babylonian) capture of Israel and Judah record wide-spread catastrophes that occurred when large populations forgot/ignored God's sovereignty. But, for those patiently trusting in Him, God has always provided a path leading back to Him (and His guidance and protection). The restoration of mankind's relationship to God has been God's plan from the beginning. [See Psalm 37; 62; Colossians 1:13-20.]
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)
God told Abraham that he would become the father of many nations. In the days of Moses, God began fulfilling this promise through His covenant with the Israelites (descendants of Abraham). God promised to free them from Egyptian bondage and lead them to Canaan—a land flowing with milk and honey. God promised to protect the people from their enemies so long as they obeyed His commands. Moses warned the people that when they would become corrupt as a nation, God's protection would depart from them. The people would fall into the hands of their enemies and be scattered abroad; many would perish. But, a remnant of hope would remain, even during these dark periods:
The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD drives you. There you will serve gods, the work of man's hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice. For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.
Deuteronomy 4:27-31 (NASB)
Even concerning the Fall of Man, there was a promise of restoration. Through Adam and Eve, mankind lost paradise; through faith in God's Son, eternal life is restored (this time in heaven). This restoration fulfills a promise included in the punishments dealt to Satan in the garden. [See Genesis 3:15; I Peter 1:3-5; II Peter 2:4-10; Colossians 1:13-14.]
Salvation Is Granted Conditionally
Because God is a just God, He cannot leave unpunished those who reject His Sovereignty. After Jesus' return, every human will stand before His throne to face judgment. Satan's defeat will be complete. Those not protected through their identification with Jesus Christ will share eternity in the place that has been prepared for Satan and his angels. Fortunately, justice also means rewarding those who have accepted God's Sovereignty, through their acceptance of Jesus as Lord. For such people, the kingdom of Heaven (the return to paradise) is currently being prepared.
"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." … "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;'"
Matthew 25:31-34; 41 (NASB)
Salvation Must Be Accepted
Because God desires for His creation to come to Him out of desire and respect rather than by force, faith is a necessary component of salvation.
Faith is not mere belief. Otherwise, Satan himself would be eligible to receive salvation.
You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
James 2:19 (NASB)
Just how much faith is required? When a person's faith is sufficient to lead him/her to commit to a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, that person's faith is sufficient for salvation. The nineth chapter of Mark records a father asking Jesus to heal his demon-possessed son. This event reveals an attitude of faith sufficiently genuine to warrant Christ's approval:
They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. And He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!" And Jesus said to him, "'If You can?' All things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief." When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again."
Mark 9:20-25 (NASB)
Salvation Is a Gift
Even though God wants for people to come to Him by their own decision, salvation is only possible because of grace. To clarify the meaning of the term, grace refers to the generous and compassionate disposition of God as revealed by the salvation He so freely provides through the gift of a very precious sacrifice: His own Son.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood,
Romans 3:23-25a (KJV)
The following passage is from a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus well after Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Paul is telling the people to trust in the work that God had already accomplished: God graciously sacrificed His Son to provide atonement for human sin. This results in two important benefits:
  1. Salvation  Humans, purged of the sin that separates them from God, receive the gracious gift of eternal life in Heaven with God.
  2. Purpose  These renewed humans are established as earthly vessels through whom God carries out His works.
Salvation is God's gracious gift to believers of Christ's message. These people have been convicted to the point of committing their lives to following Christ's leading. Any works God provides for Christians to do will not in and of themselves provide salvation. They do bring purpose to the believer's remaining time on earth. Furthermore, the Christian's level of willingness to participate in those works helps him/her to assess the maturity of his/her faith at various points in his/her life.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Ephesians 2:8-10 (NASB)
Salvation Comes with Responsibility
The above passage indicates that Christians are continual works in progress. Specifically, God molds Christians into vessels capable of carrying out His works on earth.
Here, the Apostle Paul admits that he can't wait to receive his heavenly inheritance. But, Paul also knew that through his continued existence on earth, Christ's work on earth could continue through him.
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:21 (NASB)
Christians, having been promised forgiveness from their sins, are expected to strive to live according to God's standards for their lives:
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;
Romans 6:1-6 (NASB)
Salvation Offers Continual Forgiveness
Genuine Christians desire to live according to the principles of Christ. When a Christian sins (and this will happen), his/her fellowship with Christ is strained. To keep this relationship strong, the Christian needs to confess his/her post-conversion sins to Christ, the Christian's Advocate with God. These post-conversion sins are also covered by Christ's blood. God's grace is awesome!
Author's Note: Confession should not be used as a mechanism to avoid or reduce your personal responsibility to behave in ways that please God. It is not acceptable to God if a person goes to church on Sunday and lives like the devil the rest of the week, counting on mindless confession to set things right. We should not abuse confession as some kind of legalistic method to keep ourselves saved. God has already performed the work necessary for salvation. Rather, we should view confession as a tool God provides to help in the maintenance of a healthy relationship with Him. Simply put, when we are willing to admit our faults, Jesus agrees to speak to our Heavenly Father on our behalf.
If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
I John 1:6-2:2 (NASB)
To those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, salvation brings the promise of an eternal inheritance in Heaven. Under the protection of God's armor, not even Satan can steal the assurance of a Christian's reservation in Heaven. That is the power of God's grace.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
I Peter 1:3-5 (NASB)
Conclusion
Human sin keeps people from being able to have a close relationship with God. The first human sin resulted in God putting a curse upon all mankind, a curse keeping mankind from paradise. But, God created humans so that He could have a relationship with them. Since, humans are incapable of meeting His standards of purity and justice, God sent His Son to be the sacrifice for the sins of all humanity. God agrees to view all people as worthy of entering heaven who accept the gift of that sacrifice through their commitment to obediently trust in Christ. In heaven, mankind will finally experience a restored relationship with God.
 
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